2007 Volvo V50 T5 Wagon 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Volvo won't go after S-Class, 7 Series market

Volvo vice president of powertrain engineering, Derek Crabb, recently said that the Swedish automaker is developing smaller and smarter powertrain options that will "turn V8s into dinosaurs" - a statement that could have been our first indication that Volvo is no longer looking to create a luxury flagship sedan to take on German land yachts like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series. Now Automotive News seems to be backing this up after speaking with CEO Hakan Samuelsson, who said that a big sedan wouldn't fit the brand's green image and, more importantly, might not even be a car that its customers would even consider.
Rather than trying to compete in a small, established market against rear-drive, 12-cylinder sedans, Volvo is looking at the emerging, higher-volume premium small car segment to take on its German rivals with the all-new Volvo V40 (shown above). Not wanting to abandon the big-vehicle segment altogether, a next-generation XC90 is due out within the next couple years (and was spotted in some recent spy shots), and it will ride on the new Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA), which will be shared with the new S80 according to the AN article.

Volvo V70 and XC70 and Ocean Race special editions wash ashore ahead of Geneva

Volvo will unveil the third in its series of new concepts to the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, but it will also bring a flotilla of special editions to the Swiss show. The V70 and XC70 are getting limited-edition models called simply Edition, and the V40, V40 Cross Country, V60 and XC60 will have Volvo Ocean Race Editions.
The Edition models outfit the cars with an extra sprinkling of style. The V70 Edition gets high-gloss black trim on the grille, mirror caps, side window frames and tailgate and rides on silver, 17-inch wheels with high-gloss black 17-inch and 18-inch wheels as options. The XC70 Edition adds some gloss black exterior upgrades too, plus high-gloss black, 18-inch diamond-cut wheels. Both models are swathed in black leather upholstery with cream stitching.
The Volvo Ocean Race Editions celebrate the brand's sponsorship of a 38,739-nautical-mile yacht race that will circumnavigate the world from 2014 to 2015. All of them sport the race logo on the tread plates, front fenders, infotainment display on start-up and special seven-spoke wheels. Inside, there is the choice of black or blonde leather seats with orange stitching. The 60-series cars also sport a map of the race route on the rear load cover.

Volvo Concept Estate hauls in great expectations [w/videos]

You're looking at the third leg of Volvo's award-winning concept trilogy, the Concept Estate. Despite its banal name, this sweeping longroof showcar has our attention like few other cars at the Geneva Motor Show.
It's not just that we have a weakness for shooting brakes or Volvo's take on the genre in particular (we can see some P1800ES in this design). We just think this car is exceptionally well surfaced, with a fantastic stance and the sort of clean lines that are singularly appropriate of a Scandinavian design. We also appreciate the details that are expected to inform future production models, including the T-shaped headlamps, strong rear shoulders and floating grille mount. In fact, the vast majority of the Concept Estate's design idiom is expected to make it to showrooms in future models, starting with the long-overdue, second-generation XC90 crossover.
We hope - but don't expect - that attitude carries over to the interior, which has stunning, white leather, floating clamshell seats backed in plaid. If there's one cabin feature that's expected to make it to production, it's a derivative of the car's new infotainment system, which features a massive touchscreen with tablet-like gesture controls.